Page 31 of The Rules of Courtship
Yet he had been prepared to ask her to marry him only a fortnight ago. Fear had held him back, yes, and the realization that he could not ask her to marry him simply because he needed money. But he had not regretted his change in mind after leaving her house and seeing Samuel again. He could not marry the woman his cousin loved. Did her rejection of Samuel change anything? No, not to Oliver. Not when Samuel still cared for her.
Samuel pulled a snuffbox from his pocket and inhaled a pinch with a flick of his wrist, affecting nonchalance. There was a tightness about his mouth that gave him away, though. He was not as unaffected as he’d like Oliver to believe. “Anyway, we don’t need to speak of that now. I’ve just had a letter from my father, and I’m afraid it bears ill news.”
The only news that would be relevant to them both was something regarding a member of their family, which wasunpleasant. Oliver’s body tightened uncomfortably. “What is it, Sam?” The possibilities plagued him. There were far too many people he loved in Harewood.
Samuel watched him closely, his golden eyebrows bent in concern. “It seems your father has taken ill. Months ago, actually. He’s been recuperating in Devon—in a town called Thistledale. Have you heard of it?”
“Never.” Oliver swallowed, feeling shock overcome his system, as though the world had paused around him while blood pulsed in his ears. “How badly was he affected?”
“He’s been there for the better part of a year.”
The world seemed to tilt away from Oliver, but he closed his eyes and willed the sudden nausea to dissipate. It explained why they could not find his father when Samuel had gone looking in Plymouth, and why Father had not returned any of Oliver’s letters, but it presented a whole host of new questions—none of which could be answered here. “I’ll go to him.”
“That isn’t necessary. My father wrote to me because Uncle Charles received word of the illness with a request to convey your father home to Boone Park. They’ll set off tomorrow—no, what is the date today?” He screwed up his brow in concentration. “They set offtoday,I believe, and will return home with him within a fortnight. It’s unclear how fast they can travel or how often your father will need to rest on the return journey, so they’ve allotted themselves plenty of time.”
Home? To Boone Park? “I should go to them.”
Samuel lowered his chin, his voice growing more even. “There is nothing you can do that my father and Uncle Charles are not already doing. They will care for their brother and bring him safely home. If you return to Boone Park now, you will drive yourself mad waiting for them, and if you tried to follow them, you would be unlikely to find them before they return.”
“The alternative is remaining here and determining which of the Temple sisters I might enjoy courting?” Oliver scrubbed ahand through his hair. “It doesn’t bear consideration, Sam. I couldn’t do it.”
“I think the distraction of a few lovely ladies far surpasses the empty, quiet vastness of Boone Park.” Samuel rubbed a hand over his forehead, spoiling his perfect hair. “Give it two days, then leave if you must, and I will go with you. That will give your thoughts time to gather in order.”
There was wisdom in Samuel’s plan. Yet Oliver felt unsettled, ill, guilty. A multitude of feelings washed over him, mingling with fear and grief. He’d been hunting for his father for over a year, and now to learn he’d been ill all this time? How had he come to be there? Who was he with? Why hadn’t he written sooner?
It was enough to make a grown man swoon.
Samuel must have had the same thought, because he stepped forward, his arm raised in concern. “Should we sit on the edge of the fountain there, or will you lose your wits and fall into it?”
Oliver shot him a dry, flat-lipped look. “I am not as weak as that.”
“It is not weakness to be overcome by emotion, Oliver. You’ve just suffered a great shock. I think…yes, I know I can find some smelling salts if you need them. At least three of the women in the house are bound to have them nearby.”
It worked, whatever Samuel was attempting with his ridiculousness. Balance had been restored. Oliver took a steady, deep breath. He leveled Samuel with a grateful look. “Thank you, Sam.”
“It is nothing.”
“May I read the letter, or is it very private?”
“You know my father,” he said with a chortle. “The man is nothing but concise and to the point.” He pulled the letter from his pocket, opened it to ensure it was the right paper—or so Oliver assumed—and handed it over.
Oliver accepted it and read through the short letter, notingthat Samuel had said nearly word for word what was written to him. They did not have much information to go on, but Samuel was correct, and a little time before leaving Rocklin would be good. A few days to sort his feelings with his cousin at his side. He would manage his emotions, then he would make a plan.
His father was coming home.
Chapter Eleven
Rule #11: Beware of men who enjoy card games—they are likely the sort to lose all their money and play games with your heart, as well
Something was wrong with Oliver.
After the uncomfortable interlude in the garden, when Samuel overheard them talking, Oliver became absent. He was late to dinner that evening, disappeared before the men rejoined the women in the drawing room, and remained holed up in his chamber for the entire following day. Ruth had been forced to ride with Mr. Bailey and Mr. Edmonds that morning. Now it was evening, everyone had gathered for dinner, and again, Oliver was nowhere to be seen.
But Samuel was here.
He hadn’t been ignoring Ruth, exactly, but she had given him a wide berth, hoping the embarrassment of being overheard would fade more quickly than it had. He was a perfectly handsome man, he made her laugh, and she valued his thoughtfulness.There was no understanding why she did not find herself attracted to him romantically, but the truth was she had no desire to kiss him at all.
When comparing the men in the house at present, she would put Oliver, Mr. Bailey, and Mr. Edmonds above Samuel regarding who she would most like to kiss.
